Tourists wearing costumes pose for photos in the square in front of St. Sophia Cathedral, a landmark in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on May 1. WANG JIANWEI/XINHUA
HARBIN — Harbin, known as China’s “ice city” in northeastern Heilongjiang province, reported a 35 percent year-on-year increase in tourist numbers and a 71.7 percent increase in tourism revenue during the May Day holiday. Continued growth of the city’s tourism market.
During the five-day holiday, Harbin welcomed more than 6.2 million tourists and generated nearly 7.3 billion yuan ($1.03 billion) in tourism revenue, according to the Harbin Tourism Bureau. Data released by Trip.com Group, a leading Chinese travel platform, shows that inbound tourism bookings for Harbin as a destination have increased by 85% year-on-year.
The city has been witnessing a tourism boom since it gained popularity on social media platforms last winter. Harbin’s rich ice and snow resources, attentive services for tourists, and favorable government policies have transformed Harbin into a bustling vacation destination.
During the three-day New Year holiday, the city welcomed nearly 3.05 million tourists and collected 5.91 billion yuan in tourism revenue. Both the number of tourists and tourism revenue exceeded 2019.
Despite melting ice and snow and the closure of the landmark theme park Harbin Ice and Snow World, the ice city’s tourism enthusiasm remains undiminished.
In order to attract more tourists and improve overall services, Harbin has introduced various activities to improve consumers’ experience during vacation.
On the first day of the May Day holiday, a giant inflatable castle theme park was opened to the public at the Ice Snow World venue. A new 18-meter-tall inflatable snowman was installed to replace the original snowman, drawing parents and children to the new theme park.
“Harbin’s tourism boom should not be limited to the winter season, but should flourish all year round,” said Wang Hongxin, director of the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau.
Themed buses and cruise ships have offered visitors the opportunity to enjoy city attractions, nighttime light shows, drone performances, and the beautiful Songhua River. The city also hosts plays, concerts, ballets, and other performances for tourists from all over the world. Cang Xin, a Harbin resident, said, “I didn’t expect so many people to gather at major tourist spots. I was very happy to go out with friends and experience the lively atmosphere during the holidays.” .
To further promote summer tourism, the city plans to host more activities featuring music, beer and performance festivals.
Xinhua News Agency
